GSWS639 - EROTIC SUBJECTIVITY

This multi-disciplinary course explores various notions of black 'selfhood' through the lens of the erotic. Following from Caribbean-American lesbian poet Audre Lorde's reconceptualization of the erotic in her now classic essay "Uses of the Erotic: the Erotic as Power," we will consider sex/desire alongside political and spiritual consciousness in our assessment of the relationship between subjectivity and eros. Reaching across various geographical locations,historical periods and theoretical geneologies, our readings will draw from African Diaspora Studies, Anthropology and Gender/Sexuality Studies. We will also look to artistic production throughout the African Diaspora for the significant contributions black artists have made as some of the most exciting theorists of self, sex, spirit and power.